1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the production of electrical energy and particularly to the generation of electrical energy without combustion of hydrocarbon fuel. More specifically, this invention is directed to apparatus for converting the kinetic energy of the wind into potential energy, in the form of a pressurized gas, which may be employed in the driving of an electrical power generator. Accordingly, the general objects of the present invention are to provide novel and improved methods and apparatus of such character.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The desire to harness the power of the wind to generate electrical power has long existed and, because of recent disruptions in the supply of or limitations on the use of hydrocarbon fuels, interest in this area of technology is rapidly increasing. Numerous wind driven generator schemes have been proposed and, in some cases, implemented. Most of the prior art proposals have contemplated directly coupling a mechanism rotated by the wind to a generator. Such directly driven systems have a number of inherent disadvantages. Thus, by way of example, if a propeller or other wind driven rotor is coupled to an alternating current generator the frequency of the current generated will vary with the wind intensity unless sophisticated regulation circuitry is employed. With either alternating or direct current generators coupled to the wind engine rotor, the generated power will vary with wind intensity and the storage of energy to smooth out the fluctuations in wind intensity presents an almost unsurmountable problem. Thus it has been proposed to employ the generated electrical energy to charge expensive banks of batteries or to drive the pumps of a pumped water storage system. It has also been proposed to utilize a wind driven generator to provide power for the electrolysis of water followed by the storage of combustible hydrogen gas. All of these proposed storage schemes require expensive apparatus and facilities and thus have not to date gained acceptance.
The present applicant, in his French patent application Ser. No. 74 12 911 has previously proposed a power generation technique wherein a wind engine is mechanically coupled to a compressor and the pressurized gas discharged from the compressor is delivered to a storage tank. The interior of the compressed gas storage tank is, via a controllable valve, coupled to a turbine which drives an electrical generator. Means are provided within the storage tank for maintaining the pressure of the gas therein at a constant level as gas is drawn off for driving the turbine. Thus, in accordance with a previous proposal of the present applicant, movement of the rotor of the wind engine results in the production of compressed gas, rather than electrical energy, which may be stored with comparative ease until it is desired to use such gas to drive a turbine coupled to an electrical powered generator.